Whether precious or delicate, rough or synthetic, every stone tells a story – from the velvety pebble of a holiday to the sparkling symbol of a commitment. Memories, emotions, sensuality, symbolism. Or carat, colour, cut, clarity (the 4 Cs that define a diamond’s purity). But interpretations clash. Here, the framework shifts, even shatters. The new exhibition at Hectare Galerie liberates the multifaceted stone from the hierarchies that constrain it, making way for a dialogue between material and method, through the work of ten artists from diverse backgrounds.
Erik Lijzenga analyses and reshapes everyday objects, giving them a new density. With her stone and wooden lollipops, seductive lures, Oles Tsura teases the memory with a playful gesture. Anna Ariu’s heart-shaped rings combine childhood memories with the energetic charge of the stones that make up their entirety, or how to adorn oneself with a bespoke cocktail.
Tradition and transgression come together in the creations of Ambroise Degenève, who masters the randomness and excesses of redox reactions. Contrast takes centre stage in Terhi Tolvanen’s work, somewhere between a mysterious forest and a cabinet of curiosities, where nature coexists with the dangers it faces.
Julia Obermaier explores the materiality of stone in compositions that are both synthetic and labyrinthine. Through her settings, which combine boldness and delicacy, Stefanie Verhoef creates precarious balances and serene asymmetries.
Natascha Frechen transforms stone into curves, loops or ellipses of breathtaking finesse.
Close to Op Art, Julia Maria Künnap’s cutting technique transforms the mineral into organic forms that are tapered, spilling over or melted. Whether she constrains them within metal or encases them in resin, Pei Wu places the stones in ‘oppressive forms with an adorable appearance’, daring to contrast insecurity with softness.
Ten unique worlds, all veined with contradictions, all imbued with that familiar reminiscence: the pebble gathered, a treasure or talisman, contemplated, caressed, cherished.
